“First they came for the journalists,” said the young man’s sign. “We don’t know what happened after that.”
It’s a brilliant comment that underscores two things. One is how utterly necessary it is to a free, powerful, informed public, to have the ability to act on what happens beyond our own horizon, to make choices about our governments whether by blockading a senate or parliament or electing people we have learned about from the news.
The other is how much tyrants and would-be tyrants fear a free press – and what your enemies think is often the best way to measure whether you matter. They know autocracy depends on keeping the public ignorant on some fronts and misinformed on others.
We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Guardian so far this year. And we also hope you’ll consider a year-end gift. We’re asking our readers to help us raise $1m by early next year to tell the most important stories of 2019. We’re already more than halfway there.
We have seen direct attacks on journalists in the past year, from the murder of Jamal Khashoggi to Donald Trump’s incessant maligning of the media as “the enemy of the people”. And for a couple of decades we’ve seen the indirect sabotage that is Silicon Valley’s siphoning off of advertising revenue and amplification of untruths for profit.
It costs a lot to send someone out to cover a campaign or to investigate a crime; it’s hard work that requires expertise and support from our readers. This year, the Guardian has covered everything from tech to feminism to Trump and fossil fuel politics. It is our editorial independence that has allowed us to deliver this fearless reporting; an independence that’s sometimes hard to find in other US-based media. We hope you appreciate our efforts.
Every contribution, big or small, will help us reach our $1m goal. Please make a year-end contribution today to show your support for our independent journalism.
